Thirza Schaap‘s Plastic Ocean project brings to light the overabundance of pollution and plastic littering out beaches through sculptures of found objects. The response is meant to be beautiful yet eye-opening in contrast, as Schaap hopes to draw attention and help reduce the use of plastic.

As a child, I would walk over beaches and through fields and forests to collect beautiful shells, shimmering stones, feathers and funnily shaped branches. Much later, after I had moved from Holland to South Africa, I found myself doing the same thing. Only to discover, that I started filling my pockets with trash instead of treasure. In making artistic sculptures out of the objects I find, I try to evoke an emotional response from my audience by creating a contradiction. A clash between initial aesthetic attraction and after a second look repulsion and the realisation of the tragedy trash causes. Our beaches are covered in plastic confetti and there really is nothing to celebrate.

Sometimes an artist and their work come along and you really can’t find the words for how it makes you feel, and that’s okay. Lindsey Bull‘s paintings make me feel caught off guard and the eyes of her figures seem to look right through me. Some days that’s enough of an experience though, isn’t it?

It’s really magical to be completely successful at something for nearly two decades, then pivot to a different creative endeavor. In the case of Conrad Jon Godly, he turned away from 18 years of photography to go down the path of oil painting which he’d studied before becoming a photographer. His paintings focus on natural landscapes with thick, heavy stokes of paint that sometimes drip off the canvas.

Blossom Speaker by Bebop
Blossom is made of finely textured plastics in matte finishing that is lightweight and warm to the touch. The audio-dispersing cone can be nested into the main cylinder body for portability, while also serving as a protective shell for the delicate speaker cloth cover. The cone’s movement also acts as the power switch.

Cromantica Bluetooth Speaker by Habits Design Studio
Color and sound come together to adapt to your moods with this glowing speaker. Choose from a wide variety of color illumination and control with a touch or with your smartphone as you play your favorite music or ambient sounds.

Monkey Radio & Speaker by by RSW
Like a monkey swinging from tree to tree, this compact FM radio and bluetooth speaker can curl its flexible antenna “tail” around a bike handle, your wrist or a shower rod. (It’s waterproof!) The rechargeable lithium-ion battery lasts for five hours and takes three hours to fully charge.

Reykjavik Speaker by Vifa
With three drivers packed into a pebbly shape that enhances 360-degree sound, the Reykjavik comes either covered in Kvadrat woolen fabric or in a fully anodized aluminum version that’s as tough as it looks.

Whyd Speaker by Whyd
360 Whyd Sound technology delivers crystal clear sound with deep and dramatic bass in all directions. Control your music from anywhere in the room, without a phone. Ask for a track, artist, playlist or radio.

It’s virtually impossible to show a cross-segment of Sissel Blystad‘s work because she’s been creating since 1972! Take a look at her portfolio to see how Sissel’s style has grown and evolved over the years, from rugs to smaller textile pieces she makes using saturated colors and bold pattern.

Everyone in my house eats grain-free, including me most of the time, so having healthy foods on hand is a must. And just like my own diet, I like to approach my pets’ diets with a little variety. They may not notice the time and care I put into their food choices, but I know they’re healthier for it and that goes a long way towards my ultimate plan of owning the first immortal cats and dogs. (Mwahahaha!)

A new addition to my cats’ food plans is Purely Fancy Feast Filets. They’re 100% natural filets of real seafood or chicken with no preservatives that can be fed any number of ways. I recruited my cat Rainey to try out all three types of filets – salmon, white meat chicken, and tuna. We opened the salmon first and flaked a bit of it over her everyday kibble, a healthy way to change up the same thing she’s eaten twice a day for the past four years. I knew it was a hit before she even tasted it because her little paws hit the stairs and she came running down before I even called her name!

Next up was what turned out to be Rainey’s favorite, the white meat chicken. I simply broke up the little filet into pieces she could nibble on and set it out for her to discover – which didn’t take long. This option even received her patented “prey shake” before each bite (she reserves it for the foods she approves of most).

The last taste test was the tuna. I set out the entire filet to see what she would do, and I wasn’t sure if Rainey would grab it and run to enjoy elsewhere or just eat off the plate I had set out. Turns out it was a little of both! After licking it all over she took a few bites and then carried it over to her food bowl to enjoy.

Purely Fancy Feast Filetscouldn’t have been a bigger hit! I love that you can tell exactly what you’re getting before even opening the package – real food, no by-products, no preservatives. I’m looking forward to introducing them to my two seniors diets as well because I know they’re going to love them just as much.

This post sponsored by Purely Fancy Feast Filets. All words and opinions are my own, as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that help Design Crush create fresh content!

My plants have been keeling over left and right this winter, I think I’ve lost five so far. Maybe it’s time to turn towards something a bit sturdier – like Ben Russell‘s The Cactus House. His beautiful stone art pieces mimic the bold organic forms of cacti and aren’t sure to wither any time soon.

Nest is a literal nest egg! Crafted in 3D printed porcelain and steel as a numbered edition, Nest can be used to collect change and then smashed when full. Its metal base doubles as a makeshift hammer when the time comes, and inside you’ll find an unexpected homage to the traditional piggy bank in miniature.